The Road To Qui Gong
by pistonsfan75
Summary: Three days ago, she was so happy to be newly engaged. Now she couldn't wait to get away from Shang and get on with her life. Things got a little heated on the way to the Imperial City for the mission in Mulan 2, so how does that affect the rest of the story? Includes a very cantankerous Mushu. M for sexual content.
1. The trip to the Imperial City

"General Shang, Fa Mulan!"

The armed Imperial soldier had ridden right through the open gate, and was headed straight for the newly engaged couple. The party-goers quickly parted to make way for him.

He handed them each a scroll.

"Orders from His Majesty the Emperor."

Shang addressed the soldier. "Is there trouble?"

"Yes, Sir. Report to the Imperial Palace."

Both quickly read through the scrolls ordering them each to the Imperial City immediately.

They glanced at each other and Mulan nodded. Shang saluted the soldier.

"We'll leave at once."

The pair quickly ate some dumplings and pork buns prepared for their engagement party. Then they changed, packed and prepared their horses for the long trip.

"This must be pretty important for the Emperor to want both of us."

"He knows a winning team when he sees one."

Up on a loft, Mushu was watching them and talking to Crickey. "Since when are they the winning team? The ink ain't even dry on my pink slip and I'm being replaced."

Unbeknownst to the couple, the dragon was watching their every move and plotting how to cause them to break up. Once they were married, he would lose his position as a family guardian. A position he had just regained. He had no intention of letting it go.

Just before they left, Fa Zhou and Fa Li gave them their necklaces, each of which held a part of the Yin and Yang symbol. Then they were on their way. A little ways from home, Mulan discovered that Mushu and Crickey had both tagged along. She supposed they might be helpful and didn't see any harm in bringing them on the mission. Maybe they'd come in handy, especially Mushu's fire-lighting skills.

They managed to cover a lot of ground before nightfall. Mulan caught fish and got a fire going while Shang set up the tent and roasted their supper over the coals. After they had eaten, Mulan suggested they should sleep while they could, since they didn't know how much rest they might get on the Emperor's mission.

Shang gazed at his new fiance, thinking how beautiful she was. She looked up, and their eyes met. Butterflies danced around in her stomach. His normally stern face had a different kind of expression than she'd ever seen before. He glanced around, and seeing no one nearby, leaned forward and kissed her. This was only the second kiss they'd ever shared, their first one being just that morning after his proposal.

Mulan stared at Shang in surprise as he straightened back up. Seeing her shock, Shang began to wonder if he'd done something wrong.

"Is that okay that I kissed you like that?"

"Yes, that was okay. I wish you would do it again."

"You do?"

"I do."

Of course, Mushu chose that moment to have an opinion.

"No, it's not ok that you're kissing on my girl like that! What do you think you're doing, Pretty Boy?"

Shang looked mystified as he stared at the little red dragon.

"Uh… Mulan, who's this?"

Mulan glared at Mushu. "He's my guardian dragon, Mushu. He helped me with the avalanche and with beating Shan Yu. Now he thinks he's doing something good by interfering." She picked him up and tossed him into Khan's saddlebag. "I don't need a chaperone, Mushu!"

Then she sat back down next to Shang. He put his hands on either side of her face, pulling her a little closer, and pressed his lips into hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, allowing his tongue entrance. As he pressed his tongue into her mouth, his hands traveled down to her lower back and he pulled her closer to him.

As the kiss deepened, Mulan's hands moved from around Shang's neck down to his chest and she rubbed her fingers over the hardened musculature she'd always admired at Wu Zhong. Shang's hands drifted down to Mulan's hips, pulling her even closer. She was now almost sitting on his lap.

Suddenly, she pulled away, and rested her forehead against his chest. She could feel his rapid breathing and the way his heart had sped up.

Shang pressed a kiss into her hair and took a deep breath to calm the passion and desire rising inside him.

"I suppose we should stop… Since we aren't actually married yet." As he said it, he knew that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Mulan lifted her head up to look him in the eye. "But we almost are."

He nodded in agreement. "I know. We will be husband and wife soon."

"How about tonight?" Mulan reached a hand up and touched his cheek.

Shang looked shocked. "What?"

"I want to be your wife tonight." She was staring into his eyes with the same determined look he'd seen before the avalanche.

"Mulan, I don't know…"

"Make love to me tonight like I'm already your wife. Please? What if we die on this mission? We'll never get the chance."

Mushu poked his head out of the saddlebag. "Never get the chance for what?"

Mulan glared in his direction. "None of your business!"

"You better not be planning to do any of that kissy stuff to my girl, Pretty Boy! You keep your hands off of her!"

Mulan threw a small rock at him, and he ducked back into the bag.

"There… he's gone. Now where were we? Oh, yes, I was trying to convince you to pretend we were already married."

Mulan began planting kisses on his neck and along his collarbone. He closed his eyes, feeling torn between following tradition and giving in to the impossibly amazing sensations of his fiance's lips on his neck. He opened his eyes again and glanced around. There was no sign of anyone but them. It was true they would be married very soon. He made his decision.

"Ok, Mulan. You win." She looked up at him and smiled, feeling both excited and nervous. She'd never done this before. She stood up and took his hand and led him into the tent.

Once they were both inside, and the tent entrance was tightly shut, she looked up at Shang shyly. He took his shirt off and left it on the floor. She closed the two step gap between them and ran her hands up and down the bare chest she used to long to touch during training. He put his fingers under her chin and brought her lips up to his.

As they kissed again, his other hand drifted down Mulan's back and began to remove her sash. When it was loose, he dropped it on the floor by his shirt. Then he laid down on his back and held his arms out for Mulan. She smiled and looked him right in the eye as she removed her robe, then her dress.

She now just wore a thin cotton undergarment over her middle, and her beautiful breasts were totally uncovered, ready for him to admire. She laid down next to him, her eyes eager but nervous.

Shang gently pushed Mulan onto her back, and turned his full attention to her breasts, rubbing them with his hands. He took her left nipple into his mouth, and flicked his tongue over the top of it several times as it became hardened and Mulan sighed. Then he did the same with her right nipple, flicking it several times as she closed her eyes and moaned. He pulled off her final layer of clothing, admiring the nakedness of his beautiful fiance; her black hair splayed out on the pillow, her soft, pale breasts, her flushed cheeks.

Shang pulled off his own pants and undergarment, revealing his obvious erection. Mulan's eyes grew enormous as she took in the sight of him. Her admiration and obvious desire made him smile. She reached her hand out and began to stroke it, but he stopped her, not wanting to be done yet.

"Not yet. I don't want it to be over too soon."

He leaned over her and placed his hand on her lower stomach, then slowly moved it downward until it covered her core. He noticed she looked scared.

"It's ok, Mulan. I'll be gentle." Shang inserted a finger inside her, watching her reaction. She smiled, so he slowly began to move his finger in and out. Then he added a second one, and she let out a sigh and spread her legs out a little more. He moved his thumb up over the sensitive, swollen bump and made little circles with it, causing Mulan to twitch and moan under his touch.

As he continued the motion with his hand, he took her nipple back into his mouth and played with the other one with his free hand. As he did all this, he felt her becoming even more wet and swollen. He moaned quietly, thinking of how good she was going to feel when he was finally inside her.

He realized she was close to an orgasm, so he increased the motion of his fingers and thumb. She shut her eyes and her breath came in little gasps until she suddenly arched her back and cried out.

"Shang… Ahh… Ahhh… Ahhhhhh… AAAAAHHHHH... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! OHH! OH! OH!"

He grinned as he watched her jerk and writhe with pleasure, his fingers being squeezed by the contracting muscles around them while her juices flowed out. She opened her eyes again and looked at him in wonder, still panting, her breasts heaving with every breathe. He couldn't wait to make love to this wonderful woman.

Shang pulled his fingers out and licked them off, then climbed on top of Mulan. He could tell she was scared as she wrapped her arms around his neck and spread her legs out more. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly started to go in.

She shut her eyes tight for a moment as she felt the pain of losing her virginity as Shang slowly slid into her, and he paused.

"Mulan? Are you ok?"

"Yes, keep going."

"Open your eyes", he pleaded.

She did open her eyes and Shang gazed deeply into them as he entered her the rest of the way. Her fingers tangled into his hair and she pulled him closer to her face and kissed him. He slowly started to move over her.

Her hands drifted down from his hair to his back, and she dug her nails in. They continued kissing as they made love. Mulan ran her nails up and down Shang's back, and he kissed her neck and stroked her hair, then returned his mouth to hers. He whispered in her ear that he loved her, and she whispered it back.

Both held tight to each other as they both reached a peak together. Then Shang rolled to his side and pulled Mulan close to him and they fell asleep, both wearing nothing but their Yin and Yang necklaces.

In the morning, Mulan woke up to find Shang already awake and watching her. He smiled when he saw her eyes open.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Just then, the tent entrance opened slightly, and Mushu marched in, stopping in shock at the sight of them both naked under a blanket and cuddled up tightly to each other.

"What? Didn't I tell you not to be doing any kissing or touching on my girl?"

The dragon marched up to Shang and glared at him.

"So help me, if you put your thing in her…" He didn't get to finish because Mulan grabbed him and covered his mouth.

"Mushu, it's none of your business!"

"Girl, I'm your guardian! It is so my business what Pretty Boy does to you. And from the lack of clothes on both of you, he sure musta done something." Mushu shook his fist in Shang's face.

Mulan rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok, we had sex last night. But, you're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"You did what?" Mushu turned and glared at Shang again as he shook both his fists at the General.

Mulan sighed. "I said… We had sex last night. But you're not going to tell anyone, right, Mushu?"

"I guess not. But I ain't happy with you two."

"Oh, well… Just get out of here!"

"Why? Don't we gotta hurry up and get to the palace? Ain't the Emperor waiting for you two?"

"Yes, he is, and we'll leave in a few minutes. Just go away right now and leave us alone!"

"Why?"

"Mushu, just go!"

Mushu realized why he was being booted from their tent. "Alright, fine! Do the babymakin' dance again! But, don't come crying to me if you pop out a kid in nine months."

With that, the little red dragon huffed and marched out the door mumbling under his breath about babies and waiting for marriage. Mulan rolled her eyes and shook her head and moved her body as close to Shang's as she could. She pressed her mouth against his, and rubbed her hands against his chest.

"Do you have any idea how much I wanted to do this while we were at Wu Zhong? I used to watch you working out without a tunic and wished I could touch you."

Shang grinned and palmed her breasts. "Do you have any idea how much I wanted to touch these since discovering you were a girl?" Mulan blushed and smiled.

Shang pushed her onto her back and climbed over her. As he entered her again, she whispered to him to go harder and faster. He was only too happy to oblige.

They were briefly interrupted by a cranky dragon calling out "I can hear you!".

"Shut up and go away, Mushu!", Mulan answered breathlessly. She could barely get the words out between Shang's powerful thrusts.

When they were done, they reluctantly dressed and ate a quick meal. As Mulan climbed on Khan's back, Mushu poked his head out of the saddlebag and glared at her, then turned away. "I'm not speaking to you."

Mulan rolled her eyes at him. "I don't care if you don't like it, Mushu. That's how it is. Shang and I are in love, and we didn't want to wait anymore. We'll be married soon, anyway."

Mushu turned to Crickey. "I might have to rethink this plan of mine about breaking them up. They were in that tent last night makin' a baby."

"Uh-oh", Crickey chirped. He knew, and he didn't care.

"Now Mulan *has* to marry Pretty Boy."

"Uh-huh", Crickey chirped again.

"I'm doomed. I'm gonna lose my pedestal. Especially if Mulan comes home knocked up."

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The glances the couple shared as they galloped over the countryside revealed that both were eager to be in the other's arms again. But it was imperative that they reached the Imperial City as soon as possible. Every time Mushu caught them ogling each other, he told them to knock it off, until Mulan shoved him deep into the saddlebag and told him to stay there.

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At the palace, they were taken to the throne room, where they both knelt as the Emperor explained the growing threat of Mongol attack.

"Allow me to lead my troops in a pre-emptive strike. Each of my men will fight like ten Mongols."

The Emperor beckoned them to a table set up between the two sets of stairs. He pointed to a map set up on it.

"No, General, I intend to defeat this enemy without the use of force. Instead, you will forge a union so strong, the Mongol hoardes won't dare attack. An alliance with the kingdom of Qui Gong."

He picked up an oddly shaped piece of wood and set it by a small model of a palace.

"We will become united through marriage. You will escort three princesses to Qui Gong. There, they will marry Lord Chin's sons and seal this critical alliance."

Shang bowed. "Yes, your majesty."

Mulan gasped, then looked quite perturbed as the Emperor climbed the second set of stairs and turned to face them.

"My advisors tell me the charts are clear. If this wedding does not happen in three days, the alliance will crumble and the Mongols will destroy us. Mark my words, General. Three days."

"Not a moment more, Your Majesty." Shang looked determined.

"I know that face, Fa Mulan. What troubles you?"

"Your majesty, an arranged marriage?"

The Emperor beckoned her towards him with his hand. When she reached the top, he turned to her. "Rest assured, child, my daughters know exactly what they're doing."

Mulan shrank back and bowed. "Your daughters?"

"They consider it an honor to marry in the cause of peace."

"Your Majesty, I uh... I…"

"Apology accepted."

Shang had started up the stairs and now stood by Mulan. He knew she had strong feelings about arranged marriages and the rights of women, but did she really just challenge the Emperor on his decisions? People have been beheaded for less. If she was anyone else, she would have met certain death for her audacity. But just weeks earlier, she had saved the Emperor from Shan Yu, so he let her impetuousness slide. This time.

The Emperor sat down on his throne. "General, how many troops do you estimate you'll need to complete this mission?"

Shang answered without a pause. "Three"

The Emperor looked astonished. "Three companies?" There was barely enough soldiers in his army to make up one company.

Shang smiled. "Three men."

Now the Emperor looked a little more stern. "You surprise me, General. These are my children."

Shang didn't seem daunted. "This mission does not call for force, but finesse. We must become one with the countryside." Mulan watched him and wondered what he meant. Strength in numbers would certainly matter if they were to encounter bandits, but she kept silent.

"As Emperor, I trust you. As a father, I implore you to choose your three soldiers wisely."

Shang looked at Mulan with a grin. "I know just the men. Fearless!"

"Loyal", Mulan added.

"And disciplined!", added Shang.

"China's most honorable and noble soldiers." The two grinned at each other. Of course, they were both talking about Yao, Ling and Chien Po.

"Go retrieve your soldiers, then return to me. We will send you with enough supplies for all of you for the entire trip, plus some coins should you need anything."

Shang remembered from many army conversations that there was a certain tavern the three frequented. He and Mulan retrieved their horses from the palace stables and started towards there. It was only a 30 minute ride. They arrived and dismounted just in time to see Yao, Ling and Chien Po being thrown out the door. The three soldiers landed at their feet. Disciplined and noble, indeed.

They looked up at the couple in surprise. "Mulan!" "General Shang!" They both laughed at the three troublemakers. It seemed some things never change.

"If you three aren't too busy disturbing the peace, I need you to join Mulan and me on a mission."

The three men jumped to their feet.

"To save China?"

"Naturally", grinned Mulan.

Yao pretended to be thinking it over. "I'll be leaving behind a few broken hearts, but count me in."

Ling jumped to attention. "Sign me up."

Chien Po saluted. "When do we start, General?"

"Tonight." Then Shang briefed the three soldiers on what the mission consisted of.

"So… Are you two getting married or what?" Ling questioned the two of them as they all made their way back to the palace.

The couple looked at each other and smiled. "We just got engaged yesterday."

Mulan heard Mushu muttering to himself inside her saddlebag. "You dang right they're getting married, been already acting like it." She slapped the outside of the bag. "Mushu, shut up."

Yao looked at Mulan. "What did you say?"

"I was talking to my horse. I said 'Kudzu, speed up'."

"I thought your horse was named Khan."

"It's a nickname!"

Upon their return to the palace, Shang and the three soldiers secured the surrounding area and courtyard while Mulan talked with the Emperor. Once they were certain it was all secure, Shang signaled Mulan, who nodded at the princesses to come outside.

After the three princesses had said goodbye to the Emperor, they walked to the royal carriage. The last one to climb in dropped her slipper, and Yao ran up to the carriage and retrieved it. Then he held it out while she slipped her foot back into it. As she did so, their eyes met and both felt a brief but powerful spark pass between them before she turned to join her sisters inside. Yao returned to his post with a sigh.

Shang and Mulan approached the carriage. Shang addressed them first, with a salute.

"We're about to depart, Your Highnesses. You have my word we will arrive swiftly and safely."

The oldest, Ting Ting, nodded from behind her fan. "My sisters and I thank you, General Shang."

Shang nodded at Mulan. "Permit me to introduce Fa Mulan."

The middle sister nodded at her and smiled behind her own fan. "It is a privilege to meet the hero of China."

Shang also smiled at her, feeling proud of his fiance and who she was. "I leave you in her capable hands." Then he turned his attention to the three guards. "Stand ready", the General ordered.

Mulan handed the princesses two blankets. "You might need these. It's a little chilly."

Ting Ting thanked her.

"You're welcome, Your Highnesses."

Then she climbed on the carriage steps and sat on the top stair.

"So you're getting married?"

"Oh, yes", the middle princess nodded.

"To princes in Qui Gong."

This time the oldest one answered her. "That's right."

Mulan smiled. "Well, they must be handsome."

For the first time, the youngest princess spoke up. "We don't know, we've never met them." Mulan heard the trepidation in her voice. She was shocked at this news.

"Really? So you have no idea what they're like? At all!" These princesses were being sent to a foreign country, to marry princes they'd never even met. Mulan wasn't sure she wanted to be a party to this. She didn't believe Chinese girls should ever be forced to marry someone they don't love, let alone someone they'd never even met.

Ting Ting answered her. "It's all right, Fa Mulan. It's our honor to serve the Emperor."

Then the middle sister chimed in. "And the middle kingdom."

The youngest spoke up again. "The whole thing is so exciting, really."

"We're very happy… Really." The voice of the middle sister certainly didn't sound happy as she spoke.

Mulan still felt doubtful. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I'm not sure I could go through with some…"

Shang called for Mulan just at that moment. "Mulan, prepare to move out."

She smiled at the princesses one last time. "Uhm, time to get going." She jumped down, then closed and secured the carriage door.

As soon as the door was closed tightly, all three princesses dropped their fans and leaned forward with a collective resigned sigh. They were neither happy nor excited at the prospect of marrying strange princes. But it was their duty. None thought they would ever see their father again. Or even see China again, for that matter.

"Move out", Shang called.

As the Emperor watched the entourage leave, he let out a sad, resigned sigh of his own. He was sure he would never see his three daughters again.

As they left the palace, Shang and Mulan discussed the journey.

"If we get to the Honshu Pass by midday tomorrow…", began Mulan.

Shang finished her sentence. "We'll have just enough time to make it to Qui Gong."

Mulan heard rustling in her saddlebag and Mushu poked his head out. "And that means no funny business, you two." Mulan ignored him and rolled her eyes, so he went back inside the bag. Of course they wouldn't spend the night together when the guards and princesses were with them.

Once he was back inside the saddlebag, Mushu got an idea. "Hey, Crickey, if I can make these two fight, then they'll keep their hands off each other."

Crickey rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead. "Uh-oh", he chirped.

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The group travelled all night and into the morning, stopping only for brief moments to allow for bathroom breaks and to distribute food to the princesses. Whenever they stopped, Mulan noticed Mushu watching her and Shang like a hawk. She glared at him and told him to knock it off.

But it wasn't Mushu that was troubling her. She couldn't make peace with the fact that she was helping to escort three princesses on their way to marrying complete strangers.

Shang had noticed Mulan didn't look happy, and questioned her.

"What's the face?"

Mulan was startled. Were her emotions showing that strongly? "What face?"

"That face."

She wasn't ready to tell Shang how she felt about their mission. She knew he was duty-oriented and wouldn't understand.

"There is no face. This is just my face, that's all."

But Shang was not giving up that easily. "You know I know you better than that, Mulan. What's wrong?"

It was true he did know Mulan well after spending so many months with 'Ping'.

Mulan signed, knowing Shang wouldn't like what she was going to say. "I realize our duty is to the mission…" She paused.

Shang pressed her to continue. "But…" He knew she was unhappy about something to do with the mission, and had an idea what it was.

"But I have another duty… to my heart."

Shang signed in exasperation and stopped his horse, so Mulan stopped Khan. "Oh, Mulan, your only duty is to the Emperor." This was a critical mission. Why was she being difficult?

Mulan finally voiced her thoughts. "But, Shang, an arranged marriage?" She hated the idea.

To her surprise, Shang smiled. "I know. But not everyone can be as lucky as we are. In an ideal world, everyone would marry for love."

Mulan sighed. Shang continued.

"But the world isn't perfect." He took her hand. "I'm just glad my world is."

Mulan managed a smile at his words. His touch sent electric currents through her, and scenarios from the previous night flashed through her head. She had managed to find love, in an army camp no less. Not many people she knew married for love. She knew she should be happy, but seeing how duty-oriented Shang was had caused her to wonder if she was making the right decision. Too late now, she told herself. She'd given Shang her virginity, and for all she knew, she was already with child. No, she had to marry him. They'd be officially united after the mission, and it would all be ok, she reassured herself.

After holding hands for a moment, they let go and started down the trail again. Shang had a smile on his face as he remembered making love to Mulan the previous night and morning. But he also was beginning to have doubts. She was so impulsive and followed her heart over following orders. Duty and following orders was his life. He wondered if he was doing the right thing by marrying her. He glanced over at his fiance, realizing that it didn't matter anymore if they were right for each other or not. He had to marry her now. She'd given him her virginity and he may possibly have fathered a child with her. He knew that the sooner they were married after the mission, the better.

Inside the saddlebag, Mushu was pleased to hear the two of them fussing at each other.

"Crickey, the more they fight, the less they'll smooch." The cricket covered his eyes with one of his legs and shook his head.

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Behind them, Ling cracked jokes as he held the horses' reins. He and Yao were driving the carriage, and Chien Po rode alongside them. He was so busy laughing at his own jokes that he didn't notice Yao quietly staring off into the distance with a dreamy look on his face.

Yao finally spoke. "Did you see the way she looked at me?"

Ling panicked. Did he mean the princess he helped with the slipper? This was not good. The sooner they nipped this little crush in the bud, the better.

"You mean with disgust?" Ling and Chien Po laughed.

"No!" Yao landed a punch on the side of Ling's face. "It's love, I tell ya. Love!" His face took on that dreamy affect again.

Ling decided he had to set Yao straight. "Love, schmove! It doesn't matter. We're on a mission! No fraternizing with the princesses."

Chien Po added in his two cents. "Engaged-to-be-married princesses."

Yao looked hopeless as he realized they were right. "Oh, yeah." He rested his head on his hands.

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Inside the carriage, Mei watched out the window closest to where Yao sat in front of the carriage. She hardly noticed when the youngest, Su, tried to get her attention by asking her if she'd noticed how beautiful China was. She finally peeled her eyes away from the guard when Su rapped her on the shoulder with her fan. "Oh, yes, beautiful!" She closed the window and turned to her sisters.

"Did you see the way he looked at me?" Her eyes were big and dreamy.

Ting Ting was irritated. "Who, the gorilla with the bad eye?"

Mei wasn't to be discouraged. "Gorilla? He's more like a big, cuddly panda bear." She grabbed her pillow and hugged it close to her.

Su was mystified. "But you didn't even talk to him."

Mei's face was dreamy as she answered. "A true romantic can tell. He may be coarse on the outside, but on the inside…"

Ting Ting interrupted. "He's gross?"

"I mean under that."

"He smells?" To Su, all boys were smelly.

"I can see past my nose."

"Look down… Deep, deep down…" Su and Ting Ting looked down towards their hearts. "There's something."

Su giggled. "Oh, Ting Ting, I think she's in love."

Ting Ting was indignant. She was the oldest, and it was her duty to keep her little sisters safe and in line. "Oh, no, there'll be none of that. Mei, you are to be married in three days. You gave your oath."

"Oh, yes", Mei sighed sadly, and pulled out her fan and waved it at herself. It was a source of comfort, since she always had her fan with her. Her sisters followed suit, and all three sat in silence with their fans, contemplating their fates.


	2. Duty vs Heart

A couple hours later, as they came up by a river, Shang turned to Mulan. "We should stop and let the horses graze and drink. Then we can eat, too." He stopped his horse and turned to the guards.

"We're going to stop and let the horses drink and graze. Make sure you three get a meal in you." He laughed to himself as he said it. Chien Po never had to be told twice to eat. The man loved food.

Mulan opened the carriage window to talk to the princesses. "We're stopping to water the horses, Your Highnesses. Perhaps you'd like to stretch your legs."

Mei peered out the window, behind her fan. "Are the guards fellows out there?" Of course, she meant Yao, but Mulan didn't know this. Yet.

Mulan glanced over at the guards. "Oh, yes. You're perfectly safe out here."

Mei handed her fan to Ting Ting, who became irritated. "I think a leg stretch would be very nice." With that, she climbed out of the carriage and Su giggled.

After tying their horses at a grassy river bank, the couple stood holding hands and staring at each other. Shang glanced around.

Mei was busy talking to Yao, Su was picking fruit with Chien Po and Ting Ting was busy trying to avoid Ling. He couldn't see the guardian dragon, but he was sure Mushu was somewhere nearby. He glanced over at an outcropping of rocks nearby and gestured with his head towards it. Mulan looked at it and smiled, then glanced around to see what everyone else was doing. Then she looked back at Shang and nodded. They quickly and quietly made their way to the other side of it.

As soon as they were out of sight, Shang put his arms around Mulan and pushed her against the side of the rock. The two kissed feverishly. Shang's hands drifted down to Mulan's breasts and he squeezed them over her dress. He groaned as her hand found his manhood and rubbed against it. He was starting to pull the skirt of her dress up when he heard Mushu. The dragon had noticed they had disappeared and quickly found the couple sneaking away.

"What? No, no, no, no, no! You two cut it out right now! Think I don't know what you're up to, sneakin' over here to do the babymakin' dance again?"

Mulan pulled away from Shang's lips with an exasperated groan.

"Mushu, go away!"

"No, girl, I ain't going nowhere! You two need to stop this. You ain't married yet."

"I told you, we will be soon enough."

"So it shouldn't be that hard to wait then!"

"Mushu, we shouldn't have to wait if we don't want to. Shang and I love each other. Now go away!"

Mushu stood staring at her with his arms crossed, obviously not going anywhere.

"Mushu, go!"

"Nope!"

Mulan pulled away from Shang and pulled her skirt down. Then she picked up Mushu and tossed him in the direction of the guards and princesses.

"Leave us alone!"

"Don't come crying to me if you pop out a kid in nine months!"

She returned to where Shang still stood by the rock.

"Well… Shall we?"

He wrapped his arms around her again and pushed her back up against the rock. As they kissed, he pulled her skirt up again and she undid the drawstring of his pants. He pulled her undergarment down and quickly pushed himself inside of her. They knew they had be fast and quiet to avoid getting caught.

After they had both climaxed, they fixed their clothes and stood against the rock, kissing and catching their breath.

"I love you, Mulan."

"I love you, too, Shang."

"That would be bad if one of the guards caught us. We'd never hear the end of it."

"Nope, we sure wouldn't."

"You already not gonna hear the end of it from me! I told you two to stop it!" Mushu had appeared once again.

Mulan was angry. "Mushu, were you watching us?"

"No, I wasn't watching you two doin' the babymakin' dance! What kind of a perverted dragon do you think I am?" He made gagging sounds and pretended to throw up.

"I just came back when I figured you were done. What are you gonna tell the family when you get married and then are popping out a kid a little too soon?"

"We'll figure that out if and when that happens. Stop being so sure I'm going to be with child so soon."

"Stop being so sure that you ain't. I'm just looking out for you, girl. If Fa Zhou knew about this, he'd have some words for Shang. And that's putting it mildly."

"But you're not going to tell him, right?"

"No, girl, I ain't gonna tell him. Guardians can keep secrets, you know. But you better be careful when you get back home."

Mulan shuddered as she pictured her grandma or her parents, especially her father, walking in on them.

"You're right. We'll just have to get married soon after we get back."

"Yeah, see? A dragon is always right."

Mulan rolled her eyes and gave Shang one last kiss. "We'd better get back."

"And I ain't changing no diapers!"

As they walked back to where the princesses and guards were, Mushu watched them. He decided he'd better put Operation Shang into action. The more the couple argued, the less they would be smooching. The next time they stopped, he planned to make Shang look so bad that Mulan wouldn't even want to kiss him.

As Mulan was reloading supplies into the carriage, Mei approached her, looking troubled.

"Fa Mulan?"

"Your Highness, is anything wrong?" She noticed the troubled look on the princess's face.

"No, no, not at all."

Mulan was not convinced. "Are you...sure?"

"Uh… I just wanted to compliment you. You were so brave to take your father's place in the army."

Mulan was surprised. Plenty of people had seen fit to share their opinions of her actions with her, and not all of them were good.

"Oh, well, thank you."

Then again, Mulan had saved these sisters' father, and their lives as well. If the Huns had killed the Emperor, his family would have been killed soon after.

"Your duty was to stay home, but your heart told you to break the rules. How did you decide between duty and heart?"

Mulan sighed a little. Her and Shang had been discussing duty versus heart just that morning and it was a source of disagreement between them.

"Well, it wasn't easy. But… uhh… by following my feelings, I wound up doing the right thing. I guess I learned that my duty is to my heart." She knew Shang would spit nails if he'd heard her talking like this to one of the princesses.

Mei slowly repeated the last phrase with deep thought. "My duty is to my heart." Suddenly, she smiled. "Yes, that makes sense. That's marvelous. Thank you, Fa Mulan. Thank you!"

Mulan was more than a little mystified by this. "You're welcome. I guess…" What would a princess need to know about following her heart versus following her duty? She finished reloading the carriage as Shang called for everyone to get back on the road.

As the two prepared to mount their horses, Mushu snuck up and loosened the strap under the Imperial stallion's saddle. When Shang climbed up, he slid right back down to the underside of the horse. Mulan quickly undid Khan's saddle strap and slid down next to Shang, then kissed him as they both hung upside down. After they both fixed their saddles and got back on their horses, Shang was mystified as to what happened. He'd mounted horses thousands of times and never made the saddle too loose.

Su approached where Ting Ting stood waiting for her by the carriage. She had a basket full of fruit and a starry look in her eye. "Look what Chien Po picked for me? Isn't he sweet?"

"Just get your pomegranates in the carriage." Ting Ting shook her head. Now both of her younger sisters had crushes on guards. She'd promised their father she'd watch over them both, but they were making it difficult.

Each sister had a different mother. Mei's mother was a spirited and adventurous concubine. Fa Mulan reminded Mei of her. Su's mother was young, having been taken in as a concubine at the age of 13, and gave birth to Su at 14. Su herself was only 13, Mei was 15 and Ting Ting was 17. Ting Ting was the daughter of the Emperor's original wife. She was the oldest of all the Emperor's children, and was like a second mother to her many younger siblings.

While she rode next to Shang, Mulan kept thinking about her conversation with Mei. Could the princess be having second thoughts about her marriage to a prince she'd never met?

Several hours later, the group stopped again, as the sun was beginning to hang lower in the sky. That's when Mushu decided to unleash his fury on Shang.

The dragon spied the two standing in the river fishing, so he snuck up behind Shang and tucked the hook into the back of his sash.

As he pitched his pole forward, the hook pulled his robe up over his head and he fell backwards into the water. Almost immediately, he felt a fish flipping around and begged Mulan to remove it. She pulled it out from inside the back of his robe.

Mulan laughed. "Nice catch, Shang!" She leaned forward and kissed him. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him and they kissed again.

A few minutes later, Mushu watched him setting up wood for a fire. When the General turned his back, Mushu dropped a tiny bit of gunpowder into the fire pit. When Shang went to light it, it exploded in his face. The chicken that had been hanging in a pot over the fire pit was burned. Mulan laughed and grabbed a leg and took a bite.

"Mmmm… Tasty!"

The couple kissed again, much to dismay of Mushu. This was not working how he wanted it to.

As the couple sat down on a couple of logs to eat, Mushu dropped a nasty bug down Shang's back. He panicked as he felt it stinging him, and jumped around trying to get it out, falling into a dead tree in the process. Mulan helped him out of his robe and got it out and killed it. Then he put his arms around her and kissed her as they both lay on the ground by the dead tree.

Shang gently pushed her onto her back and leaned over her and they continued to kiss on the ground. The guards and princesses were many feet away, and the couple was hidden from view by trees.

"No, no! Absolutely not. Knock that off now!" Mulan and Shang groaned. This dragon was everywhere!

Mushu stood with his arms crossed, glaring at them. "Can't you two keep your hands off each other for two minutes?"

Mulan got an idea. "Mushu… I'll polish your pedestal and raise it higher than the rest if you don't try to interfere again the rest of the trip. Deal?"

"What? The rest of the trip? You mean, if I just let you two do the babymakin' dance whenever you want, you'll raise my pedestal higher and polish it for me?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean."

"Fine. You have a deal. I won't try to stop you two anymore, then. But you better follow through, girl."

"I will."

"If you don't, I'll tell Fa Zhou all about it."

"No, don't do that, Mushu. You promised not to tell anyone."

"Well, I guess you better keep your end of the bargain for your guardian then, girl."

"Ok, I will. Now will you go?"

"Fine. But that kid better not call me Uncle Mushu!"

When Mushu was gone, she turned her attention back to Shang. Once again, they made love quickly and very quietly, and then jumped on their horses and rode high up on a cliff to scope out the area around them.

The guards had set up the princesses' tent, meanwhile. The sisters were gathering their belongings from the carriage when the rocks holding it gave out. The carriage began careening down the hill with all three sisters in it.

The guards saw this and ran to their aid. Shang and Mulan rode up on either side of it and between the five of them two of the three were pulled out while they tried to stop it with a rope. Ting Ting's ankle got stuck under a broken board after she'd pushed her sisters out first.

Before she could pull it loose, the carriage went over the cliff, taking everybody with it. Just before it hit a huge boulder, Ting Ting jumped free. Debris and supplies flew everywhere and landed in the lake below.

Everybody surfaced right away except for Mulan. Shang looked around frantically and called for her. Just then, she surfaced and he swam to her, pulling her into his arms. She had the maps in her hand, as well as the little leather bag of coins from the Emperor.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I wasn't near the carriage."

Shang turned his attention to the guards. "Yao, Ling, save the supplies!"

The carriage was wrecked beyond repair. With no way to carry all their supplies, they'd be forced to leave much of it behind until they could buy another one.

Crickey was busy yelling at Mushu for the broken carriage.

"I didn't do it. I was just angry about Shang and Mulan misbehavin' and kicked the carriage. It knocked itself loose."

The cricket continued his tirade.

"This wasn't my plan. Wagon's busted. Cold and miserable. Although, old Shang's steamin' like a fresh pork bun. He'll be too angry to put his hands on Mulan. Things are looking up after all!"

Crickey reminded him of his deal with Mulan not to interfere with her and Shang.

"I'm not interfering with their little activities. I'm just making them mad enough at each other that they won't want to do them anymore."

Crickey covered his face with one of his legs again.

As the guards and the couple retrieved whatever food they could salvage, the princesses made their way to their tent. It was obvious none of them were happy.

Shang lit a fire and attempted to dry the map by it, but it tore as he tried to spread it out.

Mulan watched him and glanced over at the

princesses. "I've seen happier princesses."

"That's the least of our worries." Shang was incredibly stressed over successfully completing the mission. The carriage was destroyed. There was just two days left to get the princesses to Qui Gong. The Emperor's words rang in his ears.

 _"My advisors tell me the charts are clear. If this marriage does not take place, the alliance will crumble and the Mongols will destroy us. Mark my words, General. Three days."_

The survival of the Middle Kingdom depended on his ability to safely deliver the princesses to Qui Gong.

"There's a mountain pass between here and Qui Gong. It takes us through bandit country. But it's the only way." The original route he'd planned on would take too long, there wasn't time now. They had to take a shortcut.

Mulan pointed to the river nearby as she spoke. "Why not just follow the river?"

"Because the river's not on the map." Shang was determined to follow the map. It was his lifeline.

"It's bound to go past a town, and where there's a town there's a road."

"There's no town on the map!"

"Well, then, maybe we should just forget the map and wing it!"

'Winging it' had always worked for Mulan. That's what she'd done ever since the day she left home to join the army.

Shang never winged anything. He always had a plan for every choice he made.

"We can't wing it. We need a new plan. We have three days. What if we get lost?" Shang stared at the map again. Mulan didn't seem to him like she grasped the seriousness of their mission and how imperative it was that they be successful. If they failed, China would fall.

"Then we'll pull over and ask for directions."

"We don't need to pull over and ask directions. We have a map." Shang was growing irritated with Mulan now.

"What is it with men and asking directions?" To Mulan, it seemed like Shang was on a pride trip, thinking his way of following a dangerous route on a map was the only way to get to their destination.

"What is it with women and maps?" Shang didn't understand why Mulan wouldn't just listen to him and agree that going through bandit country was the only way.

"Oh, you're saying women can't read maps?" Now Mulan was irritated with Shang.

The argument escalated until everyone within a two hundred foot earshot could hear them. It continued until Yao appeared.

"Am I interrupting?"

They both stopped. "What is it, Yao?"

He saluted. "Scout report. I found a village and a path to it through the forest."

They looked at each other. "A forest path?" They both looked sheepish.

"Great! Show us!"

Yao led them to a vantage point where they could look down over the hill and see the village. "See, if it were a snake, it would have bit ya." He had a vague idea they had been fighting over what path to take to Qui Gong, and hoped this would help. He was also starting to formulate in his mind a way himself and the other guards could go to the village and bring the princesses.

"There's bound to be a road down there that'll lead us to Qui Gong." Mulan looked relieved.

Shang saluted Yao, and he returned it.

"Nice work, Yao."

"Thank you sir."

After he walked away, Shang and Mulan turned away from each other after sharing a quick glance. It was their first fight. Shang looked at his map and Mulan stared at the sky for a moment. She was tempted to walk away, but knew she had been at least a little bit in the wrong. She turned around towards her fiance.

"Shang, I'm sorry. You're in charge of the mission." She realized that maybe he was right about the route. He'd traveled through these parts before, after all, and she never had.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. A good leader is open to new ideas. Forgive me?" Shang realized that Mulan's schemes always worked, even when he was sure they wouldn't. Wasn't her courage in the face of certain death, her unwillingness to give up hope and her impulsiveness what he fell in love with in the first place?

They joined hands. "There's nothing to forgive." The two shared a hug and a kiss, much to the dismay of a certain dragon. He'd cheered when he'd seen them fighting, but now was not happy to see them make up.

"I'd better go. I've got the first watch, General."

Up on a tree, Crickey stuck his tongue out at Mushu and blew a raspberry. Mushu let out a huff and set his antennas on fire.

They reluctantly let go of each other after one more kiss, but as they pulled away, their Yin and Yang necklaces hooked together. To Mulan, it was like her father was there, reminding them how sun and rain were different but worked together. The fight had discouraged her a little. They were so different. But they had to work it out, she reminded herself. Not getting married was not an option anymore. Not after she'd completely given herself to him. She headed to the edge of the clearing to keep watch.

Shang headed to his tent to sleep. As he drifted off, he thought about the night he and Mulan had spent together on the way to the Imperial City. He remembered the way she'd looked at him and how she felt in his arms. They had to make this relationship work. If it failed and Mulan was to be married to someone else, she would be publicly shamed when it was discovered she was no longer a virgin.

Meanwhile, the princesses were in disagreement about duty versus heart. After Ling had brought Ting Ting her fan, Mei noticed that he seemed sweet on her and she on him. But when she brought it up, Ting Ting denied it and reminded Mei of their duties. Mei had stomped off to their tent. When the other sisters came in a few minutes later, they found her writing a letter to their father telling him she couldn't complete the mission. After an animated discussion about the freedom "other girls" have, they returned to their campfire.

.

.

.

.

Shang had a dream that Chi Fu walked in on them, and started saying all kinds of unfriendly things about Mulan.

"She defied you. She insulted you. Man, she laughed at your map. If she's laughing to your face, imagine what she's saying behind your back. She's a loose cannon. She's out of control. I mean, who's in charge here? You, or Mulan? Mulan! Mulan!"

In his dream, Chi Fu had grabbed Mulan and pulled her out of the tent in only a blanket and raised a sword over her head. He grabbed the sword out of the advisor's hand just before he woke with a start.

"Mulan?" He looked around and realized it was just a dream. Chi Fu was nowhere in sight. After a moment, he went back to sleep. He had no idea Mushu had been whispering in his ear what Chi Fu had been saying in the dream.

Soon after he fell back to sleep, he was awakened by what sounded like Mulan talking about him to the princesses.

"General Shang? General Hardhead is more like it."

Shang had been called that before, but never by Mulan. How did she know about that not-so-affectionate nickname?

"Everything's got to have a strategy. The man doesn't brush his teeth without a backup plan."

He was irritated by that. There was a reason he was a general of the Imperial Army now. And a general always has a back-up plan. But maybe not for brushing teeth.

"I blame myself. I fell for those broad shoulders. I just didn't realize there wasn't much sitting on top of them. Except that garlic breath. Whew, that boy can peel paint!"

Shang was mystified at this. In all the kisses they'd shared the last couple of days, she'd never mentioned his garlic breath. Why was she badmouthing him to the princesses? He jumped up, dressed and ran out to find Mulan.

He found her at her post like nothing had happened. How had she gotten back there so quick?

She looked surprised to see him.

"Well, hello General. Out on night maneuvers?" It was code for using the bathroom at night in the woods.

"I heard you, Mulan. Every word."

"Every word of what?" She was bewildered. What was her fiance talking about?

"Don't play coy with me. I saw you outside my tent."

Now Mulan was angry. "I haven't left my post."

"And I suppose you weren't gossiping with the princesses?" Shang was irritated that she wouldn't just admit it.

"General Hardhead? Brushing my teeth?"

"Shang, did that dip in the river get you waterlogged?" Now she was laughing at him.

Mulan noticed he kept covering his mouth with his hand. "And why are you covering your mouth with your hand?" Shang was acting really weird.

"I wouldn't want to peel your paint!"

Mulan's jaw dropped. Why was he so angry? She'd never left her post, never said anything bad about him to the princesses and never told him his breath was bad enough to peel paint.

Yao walked up at that moment to relieve Mulan. "Changing of the guard."

Shang turned to go back to his tent, but had one last thing to say to Mulan. "And next time, don't leave your post!"

Yao was mystified by this. He hadn't seen Mulan leave her post. In all the time he'd known her, she never had left a post while on watch. She always took watch duty very seriously. He turned to her. "What's with him?"

She didn't answer, but made an angry sound before stomping off. "What's with her?" Then he realized he was alone. "Who am I talking to?"

The lovebirds weren't getting along. Yao knew they had been doing ok earlier when he'd seen them sneak away to smooch a couple of times. They didn't know he'd seen them, and it wasn't his business, so he didn't say anything. He just wished he had someone to sneak away and smooch with. All three of the guards longed for that.

During his watch, Yao talked with the other two guards about how to convince the princesses to visit the nearby village. He decided to tell them that Chien Po had a dream to visit a remote village by moonlight. It worked, and Ting Ting agreed they could all go.

When Shang returned to his tent, he fell back to sleep. Mulan reached her tent, but didn't sleep like she should have. Instead, she paced, feeling upset at her and Shang's latest fights. They'd fought more that day than they had their entire one month long romance. Mushu watched her with a satisfied look on his face. He'd rather have his girl here pacing and angry at Shang than sneaking off to his tent to do the babymakin' dance.

"We're so different. I don't know what to do."

"Without trust, there can be no relationship. And that boy don't trust you."

"Mushu, we have to work it out. I have to marry him now."

The dragon rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. I'm aware. Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you went and…"

"Mushu! What's done is done now. But why does it have to be so hard all of a sudden? It's easy when everything's nice and smooth."

Just then, Mushu looked out the tent entrance and saw the three guards and the the princesses leaving the camp.

"Oh, Mulan… Nice and smooth just ran out of camp."

"What?"

"I'm just trying to tell you that the princesses went AWOL. That's all."

Mulan couldn't believe this. Why didn't they stay at the camp where they were safe?

"Where are the guards?"

"Showing them the way."

Why would they do that, Mulan wondered. "They're together?"

"Uh-huh"

"Together together?" The guards and the princesses were falling for each other? That explains her conversation with Mei earlier.

"Don't you understand Chinese?"

Mulan grabbed her sword and threw her sash back on. She made an exasperated sound and headed out towards Khan.

"Hey, what about old Shanghai?"

"I think I better handle this on my own. Shang's on a short fuse as it is. Just make sure nothing wakes him up." She quietly led Khan away from the camp.

Unbeknownst to Mulan, Mushu had no intention of letting Shang sleep. He made as much noise as he could and finally woke up the General. Shang raced out of his tent only to find everyone gone.

He looked in the princesses' tent, and found nothing but a letter written by Mei stating she couldn't complete the mission.

Did she not realize how crucial this alliance was to the safety and well-being of the Middle Kingdom?

The last line of her letter angered him. "I've come to realize that my duty is to my heart."

So Mulan was behind this. He angrily crumpled up the letter, then realized he should keep it, so he folded it and tucked it inside his robe. Walking back outside, he saw footprints and hoofprints leading towards the village Yao had pointed out earlier. He jumped on his stallion and followed them.

While all this was happening with Shang, Mulan had reached the village. She found the guards and princesses on a bridge gazing at the moon. Chien Po had his arm around Su. Yao and Mei were snuggled up together. Ling and Ting Ting had their arms around each other.

"Isn't it beautiful?", Mei sighed.

"It's just like the moon back home," answered Ting Ting.

"No", sighed Su. "This one's entirely different."

That's when Mulan decided to make her presence known. "I know I've never seen anything like it."

The six jumped. "Mulan!"

"I'm listening…"

Ting Ting explained to her what was happening. "Oh, Fa Mulan, it's love. Su and Chien Po, Yao and Mei, and myself and Lingy-bear, I mean Ling."

Mulan stood stunned for a moment, unsure how she should react. This was not how the mission was supposed to go. But then she saw the smiles on all their faces, and decided to be happy for them. She ran up the bridge stairs and hugged the princesses. The guards had each been looking for a mate ever since returning home from war, and probably long before that. Their marching song from the Hun war, 'A Girl Worth Fighting For', ran through her head.

Chien Po scooped everybody up into a group hug, but it was cut short by the neighing of an Imperial Stallion. Shang! He dropped everyone, and the guards all quickly stood at attention. The princesses looked downright scared, so Mulan reassured them she would take care of everything.

She walked towards Shang as he dismounted his horse and angrily stomped in their general direction.

"I'm so sorry to break up your little party."

"Shang, before you jump to conclusions, let me explain the situation…" He cut her off.

"Fine, why don't we start with this." He held up the letter. Mei spoke up. "That's mine."

"All yours? Or did you have help?" Shang spat the words out as he glared at Mulan, then he read a sentence from the letter. "...and so, Father, I cannot complete this mission. I have come to realize that my duty is to my heart."

Mulan recognized that phrase, as Mei had been particularly fascinated by it earlier during their conversation. She didn't make all of this happen. Is that what Shang thought?

Shang looked Mulan right in the eye and raised his voice, drill sergeant style. "Now who does that sound like?" She flinched. She could take it when he yelled at her in a boot camp setting, but this was different.

Su jumped to Mulan's defense. "Mei never meant to send that letter."

Shang turned his attention to the three sisters. "Your Highnesses, you took a solemn vow to be married in Qui Gong. What would your father say if he saw you now, breaking that vow?" This hit home with each of the princesses, and their faces fell as they looked down. They had a mission to complete, to marry princes of Qui Gong, and falling in love with Imperial guards was not part of that plan.

Shang then walked to where the guards stood at attention. "You three are to escort the princesses back to their tents immediately. You are to guard them. You are not to enter their tent, you are not to speak to them. Not one word. EVER! Am I understood?"

The guards faces fell. "Yes, Sir!"

They silently walked the princesses back to the campsite. This left Shang and Mulan alone, except for a very anxious Crickey and a gleeful Mushu both perched on a branch above them, watching.

"Shang, the problem isn't as bad as it seems." She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away and she pulled her hand back like it had been burned.

"The problem, Mulan, is you."

"What?" So he was blaming this all on her, just like she had suspected.

"You place your own feelings above everything. Duty, obligation, tradition. It all means nothing to you!" His voice had taken on the loud drill sergeant quality again that she hated to hear in ordinary interactions.

Mulan was angered at this accusation. "It means everything to me. My heart tells me my duty and I follow it." Did he forget that following her heart is what saved the Emperor and China? Obviously so. If she hadn't listened to her heart, the Emperor would be dead and Shan Yu would be ruling China now.

He turned away from her with an angry groan. She just didn't understand how critical this mission was, and by allowing the guards to court the princesses, she was putting it in peril.

"You're a brilliant warrior, Shang." He turned around to face her. "You're brave. You're loyal. But you don't trust your heart." Mulan grew angry as she thought about how he was so quick to dismiss the role that following her heart had played in saving China.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you even have one." Even as she said it, Mulan knew this was unfair. If he didn't have a heart, he would have taken her life in the Tung Shou pass.

Shang gasped, looking hurt at her words. He thought the same thing as her, that if he hadn't had a heart, he would have beheaded her when her gender was revealed. It was his heart, as he watched her cowering helplessly in the snow in nothing but a blanket and training pants, that caused him to throw the sword down rather than kill her. She didn't seem to remember that right now.

"This assignment has made it clear. We are very different people." He didn't want to be married to this woman who would just willy-nilly follow her heart. He regretted sleeping with her, and pushed out of his mind the nagging worry that she could be with child.

Mulan gasped at this words. "Maybe too different." If he no longer wanted to marry her, she no longer wanted that, either.

Shang gasped as he realized she did not want to marry him. "Fine." He walked to his horse and mounted it. "We have a mission to complete." Then he rode away, leaving Mulan standing alone.

She glanced down at her abdomen and Mushu's words echoed in her head.

 _"Don't come crying to me if you pop out a kid in nine months."_

 _"Stop being so sure that I'm going to be with child so soon."_

 _"Stop being so sure that you ain't!"_

Mulan knew she couldn't marry this man. Not when he placed duty and obligation over everything else, even her. When she returned home, she'd try to get back to life as it had been before the war when Shang hadn't entered her life yet. She silently prayed to the ancestors to not let her be with child. If she was, she knew there were herbs to remedy the situation.

Three days ago, she was so happy to be newly engaged. Now she couldn't wait to get away from Shang and get on with her life. How did this happen? She mounted Khan and slowly rode back to camp.

The guards watched her as she rode into camp, cared for her horse and exited to her tent. They hadn't been witness to their argument, but all three had seen Shang return and storm into his tent. Mulan held her head up high and refused to let anyone see her cry.

Once she reached her tent, she threw herself on her mat and sobbed. Mushu and Crickey tried to comfort her, but they weren't able to.

"Ok, Mushu, you were right. I shouldn't have slept with him. Now we've broken our engagement and what if you're right and I am with child? Even if I'm not, I can't marry anyone else. It's too late. I gave him everything."

Mulan sobbed harder into her mat. Mushu rubbed her back. For once, he didn't know what to say. He couldn't fix this problem for his girl. He'd helped her through so many sticky situations, but this one he couldn't make better. She just had to ride it out, and see what the future held. He said a prayer of his own to the ancestors to please not let her be with child.

In the morning, it was clear that neither Shang nor Mulan had slept at all. Everyone had heard Mulan sobbing during the night. The princesses and the guards all knew that Shang and Mulan had broken up. The atmosphere was tense as they all broke camp and started on their way. As they made their way down the road towards Qui Gong, no one spoke.

The group wasn't able to buy a carriage at the village, but traded a couple of horses for an oxen that the princesses could ride on. Much of their supplies had to be left behind, now that they had no way to transport them.

Crickey blasted Mushu for interfering with their relationship and making them angry with each other. He tried to defend himself by saying that he only wanted to make them upset enough with each other that they would stop sneaking off to hook up, not to cause them to break up. Crickey wasn't buying any of it, and continued to chew him out, eventually giving his whiskers a hard yank.

Because they had not been able to devise a better route, they had to travel right through bandit country. This was dangerous, and Mulan wished that Shang had asked for more soldiers than just the three. _"This mission does not call for force, but finesse."_

Finesse does not fight off bandits. Force does. She recognized he had much the same arrogance that his father had displayed when he thought he could stop the Huns with just one company of soldiers.

Mulan briefly mused that had her father been heading up this mission during his years as a general, he would have brought many soldiers along, maybe a whole company. Shang was showing his youth and inexperience in military affairs. She sent up another prayer to the ancestors, this time asking that they protect all of them as they traveled.


	3. I almost lost you!

**Thanks for the reviews, faves and follows! Much appreciated! This is a fairly long chapter. I included a couple passages from another Mulan 2 fanfic I wrote, In Sickness and In Health, because they seemed to fit.**

As the group made their way into bandit country, all were silent. Shang and Mulan were each lost in their own thoughts. Once, they both stopped at the same time, and turned and looked at each other. They were thinking nearly the same thing; that they regretted sleeping with the other. Both worried Mulan was with child, and both knew they would never fully move on from the other.

But each was too stubborn to give in, so they turned away and continued down the trail without any attempts at reconciliation.

Back in Shang's tent, as well as behind the rock and behind the trees, they had each shared with the other a piece of themselves that they could never get back. It was as if each held a little piece of the other's soul that they refused to give back.

Mushu poked his head out of the saddle bag and tried to talk to Mulan.

"I see Pretty Boy isn't talking to you. And you're not talking to Pretty Boy. Well, you know you can always talk to me." Mulan just looked at him, and Mushu realized again that he couldn't make this better for her. He had helped her destroy the Hun army, and aided her in killing Shan Yu and rescuing the Emperor. He'd even helped her through the rigorous army training. But he couldn't fix her broken heart. He sighed and ducked back into the saddle bag.

Shang rode ahead slightly, and then Mulan was riding next to the princesses.

Ting Ting spoke what had been on the minds of all three of them. "We're so sorry, Fa Mulan. You inspired us to follow our hearts, and we repaid you by ruining your relationship."

"No, you didn't ruin it. You just opened my eyes to how broken it was. I'm indebted to you." Mulan reached over and took Mei's hand for a moment and held it. The princesses all gave her a sad smile.

Shang glanced back towards the guards. "Keep a sharp eye out." He ordered. "This is bandit country." He was beginning to wish he had listened to Mulan last night when she'd suggested following the river. Then he thought about how he'd been so sure he'd only need three soldiers to safely carry out the mission. A gang of bandits could easily outnumber them. Finesse, indeed. What they needed was force, he realized with regret.

The guards were walking next to the princesses, and talking to each other about what they would tell the princesses if they were allowed to talk to them. Technically, they were still following orders.

Ling told Yao "I'd tell Ting Ting she's the prettiest, funniest, most extraordinary girl I'd ever met." Ting Ting smiled at him.

Chien Po told his comrades that he'd tell Su "that she was like fresh ginger on the rice bowl of my life." Su giggled happily.

Yao exclaimed that he'd tell Mei that "she was one right babe." She gazed with love at Yao and smiled.

Mushu tried to talk to Mulan again. "How about a little pick-me-up?" He offered her a dumpling. She ignored it. She was looking at her half of the Yin Yang necklace.

"My father said differences can make you stronger. He didn't realize that Shang and I are just too different." She stopped Khan. Mushu jumped up on the saddle in front of her.

"Well, you know, you always got me. The old team, right?"

"Aw! You're always looking out for me, Mushu." Mulan was thankful for the friendship of her guardian.

He cringed. "Well, I'm just doing the best I can."

"Really, I just don't know what I'd do without you. You're the best friend I've ever had."

Mushu couldn't take the guilt anymore. He knew Shang and Mulan's fights were his fault.

"Oh, I can't stand it no more! The only thing wrong with you and Shang is me. I'm the one that got between you." He cowered, waiting for Mulan's wrath.

"What are you talking about?" Mulan was incredulous. What did he mean?

"It's not like you made the carriage go into the river."

Mushu grimaced, nervously. "Now, that was an accident. I didn't think kicking it would cause all that."

"And it wasn't you outside Shang's tent."

Mushu was growing more nervous now. "You know how I gab."

"And you woke him up after I left?" Mulan was growing angrier now.

"It wasn't easy, either. That man can sleep."

"Mushu, what did you do?"

"I wanted you and Pretty Boy to stop sneaking off and doing the babymakin' dance. So I did things to make you two mad at each other. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause you to break up."

"What you did was unforgivable." Mulan turned her face away from her dragon, much the same way her father had once turned his face away from her.

Mushu tried to redeem himself. "But you and Shang are so different!"

"Wait a second! Not as different as I thought. Oh, all those problems… They weren't us." She glared right in Mushu's face. "They were YOU!" He shrank back. He knew he didn't deserve for her to polish and raise his pedestal. Then he realized that he had in fact interfered, so the pedestal deal was off.

"I've got to talk to Shang. Tell him I love him!"

"Hyah!" She sped up Khan and cantered towards where Shang led their group.

"I'll make it up to you! I promise!"

Mulan threw Mushu into her saddle bag. "Forget it! You've done enough!" Crickey chirped an "I told ya so" in his face and he sulked in a corner.

"Shang! Shang!"

He stopped and turned. What did she want? He had just been thinking about her and wondering if he should talk to her about trying to make it work. Had she been doing the same?

An arrow narrowly missed his head, landing in the rocky cliff behind him.

"It's an ambush!" She pulled on Khan's reins to stop him. Suddenly ropes appeared over the sides of the cliffs and bandits slid down them.

"Bandits!"

"Close ranks! Save the princesses!" Each guard grabbed a princess and ran. Shang and Mulan started fighting the bandits, but they were being outnumbered. Two of the bandits chased the guards and princesses and grabbed Mei. They were roughly trying to pull a gold bracelet off of her arm as Su and Ting Ting were throwing rocks at them.

"It won't budge!"

"Then take the whole package!"

One of them picked her up and they started running. Shang and Mulan chased them, after telling the guards to hold off the other bandits. They ran onto a rope bridge, and the bandit carrying Mei lost his balance. She jumped up and ran towards where Yao and the others stood on the cliff's edge. A bandit punched Shang and knocked him down. Then they raced to the other side of the bridge. The last one started cutting the ropes as Shang and Mulan wobbled for balance. They started to fall, but Mulan grabbed onto a rope as Shang grabbed her arm. Now they both dangled hundreds of feet above a river. Their only hope was that Chien Po could pull both of them up to the top of the cliff, except the rope was starting to break.

"Shang, hang on!"

"It won't hold us both."

"It will. It will, Shang. It will." Tears were streaming down Mulan's cheeks from the sheer terror of dangling hundreds of feet over the river. Her body was being stretched between the rope and Shang's weight.

Shang knew both of them couldn't be rescued. The rope wasn't able to hold both of them for much longer before it would sever the rest of the way and they would both die. He wanted Mulan to live. She had a mother, father and grandmother to go home to. Before they had left the Fa home to go on the mission, he had promised Fa Zhou he would watch over Mulan and keep her safe.

Shang had no family other than Mulan. The Emperor could find another general. He made his decision.

"Mulan, I'm sorry." Such a simple phrase, but he meant so much by it.

 _*I'm sorry for the fighting..._

 _I'm sorry for not being able to marry you or have children with you..._

 _I'm sorry for blaming all the failures of the mission on you..._

 _I'm sorry for nearly taking your life at the Tung Shou Pass..._

 _I'm sorry for leaving you on the mountain disgraced and wounded and half-dressed without a tent and vulnerable to the many dangers of the mountains while the rest of the army left..._

 _I'm sorry for not listening to you when you tried to warn me the Huns were alive and in the city..._

 _I'm sorry for doubting your plan to rescue the emperor…*_

Shang let go of Mulan's hand. He felt himself falling as he heard her screaming his name. A thousand memories of her flashed through his mind as he fell.

 _*"Uh, sorry. I mean, uh, sorry you had to see that. But you know how it is when you get those manly urges and you just gotta kill something, fix things, cook outdoors..."_

 _"Hey, I'll hold him and you punch. Or not. For what it's worth, I think you're a great captain."_

 _"My name is Mulan. I did it to save my father. Please, you have to believe me."_

 _"Shang, the Huns are alive. They're in the city."_

 _"Hey, guys, I got an idea!"_

 _"With all due respect, Sir, I think I've been away from home long enough."_

 _"Would you like to stay for dinner? Would you like to stay forever?"*_

(starred italic sections taken from my fanfic In Sickness and In Health, I thought it fit so I included it)

Mulan had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. He hoped she would find happiness with someone. Then he felt a thousand needles hit his skin as he crashed into the freezing river and everything went black.

Up on the cliff, Chien Po pulled Mulan to safety. After she reached the top, she spotted Shang's sword on the ground near her. She picked it up and held it, oblivious to the rain that started to fall on them all.

As lightning cracked overhead, Shang's face seemed to flash on the sword momentarily. A wave of unbearable grief crashed over Mulan and she plunged his sword into the ground, sobbing. She held onto the handle for dear life, as memories of Shang ran through her mind.

" _Thanks to your new friend Ping, you will spend the night picking up every single grain of rice."_

" _Soldiers! You will assemble swiftly and silently every morning. Anyone who does otherwise will answer to me."_

" _Ping, you are the craziest man I ever met, and for that, I owe you my life."_

" _A life for a life. My debt is repaid. "_

" _You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home!"_

" _Uhm, You… You fight good!"_

" _Dinner would be great!"_

" _Oh, Mulan! Seems your Grandmother invited someone over to help celebrate our engagement… China!"_

Mulan didn't know how she was going to go on without him. She didn't know how long she knelt there clutching the handle of his sword that she'd driven into the ground. Only that it was done raining when she finally let go.

The guards and princesses approached her.

"Fa Mulan" said Ting Ting, "We're ready to go through with the wedding."

"No. Your orders are to take care of each other." Mulan stood up. "Shang's death will not be in vain. No matter what it takes, I'm finishing this mission."

She felt a determination similar to what she'd felt when she started the avalanche and when she led Shan Yu up on the roof to his death. It was up to her now to seal the alliance and save the Middle Kingdom.

"Please tell my family that Shang is dead, but I am alive and will be married to a prince in Qui Gong. Tell them I love them, and that I'm sorry, but that this is what I needed to do to save the Middle Kingdom."

Chien Po, Ling and Yao vowed to give her message to her family if it was the last thing they did. Mulan hugged each of the princesses and each of the guards, then climbed on Khan and took off with a loud "Hyahh".

The princesses and guards realized that they could each marry the one they'd fell in love with, so they began to talk about heading back. They still had the oxen the princesses had been riding before the bandit attack. Each guard had a little bit of coins, enough to buy food for the trip back. They were by the river, discussing the return journey and Mulan's departure.

"Mulan said she was going to finish the mission no matter what."

"But how can she without us?"

Just then, a familiar voice answered Mei's question. "By taking your place."

They all turned around. It was Shang, leaning over the neck of his Imperial stallion looking exhausted. Everyone ran up to him, cheering.

Shang smiled, then grew serious. "Mulan is right. No one should marry someone they don't love. I'm going to Qui Gong."

Ting Ting answered him. "We're going with you."

"No, you're not. Stay here." He didn't want them there, as he worried that Lord Chin may try to force them into marrying his sons.

He took off on his horse towards Qui Gong. The guards and princesses stared after him.

"Hmmm….," wondered Ling. "Would you say that was an order?"

Chien Po answered him. "I'd say, it was a friendly suggestion. Let's go!"

It was only an hour walk towards their destination. The guards helped the princesses onto the oxen and they left. Walking long distances was painful for the princesses, due to their feet being broken and bound at a young age to keep them small. They were grateful that the guards understood this.

Ting Ting had noticed that every time Mulan had looked at their tiny feet, her expression had darkened and she'd sighed. At first, the princess had thought Mulan was jealous of their tiny feet. But as she'd gotten to know her better, she realized it was because the heroine detested the injustice of it, and hated that the princesses had suffered in the name of fashion and tradition. Mulan hated injustice, especially when it had to do with the mistreatment of women and girls.

.

.

.

Mulan arrived to Qui Gong, and requested audience with Lord Chin. She explained to him that the royal carriage had fallen into the river and all had been lost except for her.

"Oh, a grave loss." The ruler rubbed his chin, then glanced over at his advisors as they shook their heads at him. "But, this does not alter my agreement with the Emperor, and unless it is honored, I will sanction no alliance with the Middle Kingdom. A marriage was promised!"

Mulan, determined as always, answered him. "And a marriage there will be."

She bowed. "I would be honored to wed a prince of Qui Gong."

Lord Chin was not impressed. "You?"

It was obvious to his advisors that he did not fully understand how heroic this renowned woman was. One of them approached him.

"My Lord, Fa Mulan. The heroine of China. Oh, a jewel in your crown. Far more dear than three mere princesses." He glanced back at the others, who all nodded enthusiastically. She would make a good addition to his bloodline, and bear heroic sons. Lord Chin smiled and turned his attention back to Mulan.

"This is not what was agreed upon. However, the Golden Dragon of Unity smiles upon you today. And in view of the tragedy, I will accept your offer. You will make a fine bride for my eldest son, Prince Jeeki."

He gestured towards a hallway, where guards brought forward a boy who couldn't have been more than 13. He was busy playing with a pair of chinese handcuffs. When he saw Mulan, he became embarrassed and tried to hide the fact that his fingers were caught in them. Then he scowled.

"This is her? But she's so old!"

Mulan glanced at Lord Chin and groaned. She had at least four years on this boy, being 17. Servants came and escorted her to a chamber where she was given a bath in water full of Lotus petals and cherry blossoms. Then she was dressed in a traditional wedding gown and makeup was applied to her face and her hair was done up beautifully. All that remained was to put on the traditional hat. Mulan asked to be left alone, so the servants all exited the room. She tucked her wedding comb into her hair and started to place the hat on her head. She set it down when Mushu, who had been watching her from a corner most of that time, placed his hands on her arms.

"Looks like we won't be a team after all, Mushu."

"Mulan, what are you going to do about the fact that you're not a…" She cut him off.

"Shhh… they might hear you. I'll just have to hope that my young husband-to-be doesn't notice, or doesn't know what should happen."

She meant that hopefully Prince Jeeki was inexperienced and too naive to know that a virgin should bleed the first time she has sex. Because she certainly was not going to bleed, as she had given Shang her virginity just about five days ago. But Mulan also knew that there was a chance Prince Jeeki may realize he wasn't her first, and report it to Lord Chin, who would probably have her put to death and cancel the alliance.

"I'll just have to take my chances, Mushu. Now is not the time to tell me 'I told you so'"

"Oh Mulan, I'd give up a thousand pedestals if only I could stop this." He reached up and put his hands on her face. He knew that if the truth was discovered and revealed, she would be killed.

She turned her head as a horn blew. "I doubt even the Golden Dragon of Unity could stop this now." She moved his hands from her face, put on the hat and stood up straight.

"Goodbye, Mushu." As a drum started beating, she walked towards the room's entrance and a curtain was pulled up. She could see that the courtyard was full of onlookers, and they gasped as she came into view. She started down the stairs and Lord Chin smiled as he caught sight of her.

Prince Jeeki had been trying to free his fingers from the chinese handcuffs, but stopped and hid his hands when he saw her. The boy didn't even look old enough to shave, let alone have a wife.

Mulan inwardly groaned at what she knew she would be expected to do that night. Hopefully, the boy would not realize she was not a virgin. But, if she was completely honest, she didn't regret giving herself to Shang. She had memories of him she could hold onto forever now. She glanced down at her abdomen briefly. There was a chance that she had conceived with the General. She could pass the child off as Prince Jeeki's if that was the case. Then she would always secretly have a part of Shang with her.

The sound of Lord Chin starting the ceremony startled her out of her thoughts.

"My people, the Golden Dragon of Unity, who guides us in all we do, today sanctifies a union that will be a blessing for all of Qui Gong." He handed Mulan a chalice of wine. Then he attempted to hand one to his son, whose fingers were still caught in the chinese handcuffs. Prince Jeeki slipped the handcuffs over it and put his hands around it. Lord Chin shook his head at him.

Mulan stared at the contents of the chalice. She realized she would likely never see her family again. A tear slid down her cheek and fell into her wine as she wished she was holding a ceremonial cup with Shang, surrounded by her parents and grandmother. Up on a ledge just below the great dragon statue, Crickey panicked and told Mushu to do something to stop the wedding.

"Of course I want to stop this. But what can one itty bitty dragon do?"

"With the tying of this sash, we unite not only two lives, but two kingdoms." Lord Chin tied a silk sash around both glasses and stepped away.

Just then, a metal star severed the scarf and lodged itself in the wall behind it. Lord Chin shrank back. Everyone gasped.

Mulan looked up to see who had thrown it, and saw Shang on his horse. She blinked to be sure it wasn't a hallucination. He rode towards her amidst exclamations of "General Li Shang!" and "He's alive!".

As Shang dismounted, she ran towards him. They grabbed hands.

"You're alive!"

"I couldn't let you get married without me."

Lord Chin pushed them apart. "General, this is outrageous! You will leave at once."

Mulan's thoughts screamed "No!". She had just gotten him back from the dead, she wasn't about to let him go.

But Shang had no intention of leaving so Mulan could marry this mere child. The thought of any other man touching his Mulan made him want to vomit.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Mulan walked up behind him and spoke softly in his ear. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know. I'm winging it!"

Mulan could not have been more surprised if Shang had walked up to Lord Chin and kissed him on the lips. The General never winged anything!

"How dare you trample upon this sacred ceremony!" Lord Chin was visibly furious. He wanted this courageous woman for his descendents' blood line. Shang briefly wondered if he somehow planned to take Mulan for himself.

Up high, perched under the Great Golden Dragon statue, Mushu and Crickey were panicking. "Oh, my god! He's gonna lower the hammer on Shang! Where is the Golden Dragon of Unity when you need him?"

Crickey suddenly got an idea and chirped loudly and urgently while pointing at the statue. Mushu glared at him.

"Don't bother me now, Crickey, I…" Suddenly, he glanced up at the huge statue.

"I have an idea!" He quickly scaled up the statue until he reached the mouth.

Shang stood face to face with the indignant Lord Chin. "My Lord, I love Mulan and I don't care what the rules say."

Mulan couldn't believe what she was hearing coming out of Shang's mouth. He didn't care what the rules say? Did that dip in the river make him waterlogged? Who was this creature and what did he do with the real Li Shang?

He turned to her and took her hands. "If she'll have me, I intend to marry her right here, right now."

Lord Chin charged between them, and shoved the couple apart. "Insolent dog!" He pushed Shang towards his guards. "Seize him!"

"Shang!" Mulan tried unsuccessfully to grab Shang's arm. She was about to lose him again! He reached out for her, but the guards were dragging him away. "Mulan!"

Suddenly, a huge tongue of fire landed on the ground right by both of them. Many people screamed, including Lord Chin.

A loud voice boomed. "Yo! What's with all this drama?"

"The Golden Dragon of Unity. He lives!" Lord Chin cowered.

A gong sounded and everyone but Shang and Mulan bowed. In the audience, the princesses and guards also bowed.

"Oh, you dang right I live. You best drop your dumplin'-eatin' behind on down and tell me why we ain't bustin' out the vows already, huh?"

The voice sounded a little bit familiar to Shang but he couldn't put a finger on it.

Lord Chin looked up from where he had bowed to the ground. "But.. But, Your Greatness, General Li Shang is not a son of Qui Gong."

"Silence!" Another lick of flame landed at Lord Chin's feet. He screamed and ran and hid behind Shang. Mulan stifled a laugh. She had figured out by now that it was Mushu up there inside the statue.

"I am the Golden Dragon of Unity, and I decide whom to unify. My all-seeing eye has peered into the very heart of China and I have never seen two people more right for one another than this lovely couple right here, Mulan and Shang."

The couple smiled and Shang pulled her closer to him. Now he recognized the voice. It was Mushu, pretending to be Qui Gong's Great Golden Dragon.

"Give it up for them, would you please?" The entire audience, including the princesses and guards, cheered.

"Now I command you to proceed at once!"

Lord Chin bowed down again. "Yes, Your Greatness. As you command!"

"Now let's get down to business. Mulan, do you love Shang?"

Mulan looked up at Shang and smiled. "Of course you do!"

"Shang, do you love Mulan?" He gazed into her eyes and smiled.

"Yes, very much! Moving on… By the power invested in me, by me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife!" The two lovers gazed at each other, totally in love.

"You got anything to say, Lord Double Chin?" Another lick of fire touched onto the ground right in front of the Emperor. He screamed and jumped away. "Yes, Uh… I mean, No, Uh… I mean… Whatever you say!" He looked at Prince Jeeki and shrugged. His son handed him the chinese handcuffs and he instantly was hooked, laughing delightedly at the fun little challenge. Mulan got the feeling the prince was relieved to not be getting married that day.

The audience cheered.

The Dragon continued. "And furthermore, I hereby decree that the princesses of the Middle Kingdom, wherever they may be, are released from their vows and may marry whomsoever they please. And who pleases them, that's very important."

All three princesses cheered and turned to kiss their respective guard. Ting Ting and Ling shared a kiss while Chien Po put his arms around Su and kissed her. Yao hugged Mei and gave her a kiss, too. Now they all could be with the ones they loved, and the guards finally each had 'a girl worth fighting for'. The princesses were able to 'marry someone I love, who loves me for me'.

Up on the stage, Mulan and Shang shared their first kiss since before their break-up at the river village. After a moment, Shang pulled away from the kiss and leaned his forehead against Mulan's. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I am too," whispered Mulan. "I can't believe we're married!" They looked at each other and smiled, each thinking that they didn't have to sneak around anymore to do what Mushu called the babymakin' dance.

Before the group left, Lord Chin gave Shang a sealed letter confirming Qui Gong's alliance with the Middle Kingdom.

While Shang and Mulan rode together, slightly away from the rest, they talked.

"I'm sorry about everything, Mulan. You were so right about the river. We should have followed it."

"What's done is done now, Shang. We're both alive and we're together now, that's what matters.

"I'm sorry I blamed you for everything when I followed all of you to that village. The princesses made their own decisions and so did the guards."

"I know. I forgive you, Shang. Mei had asked me earlier in the day about what led me to take my father's place in the army and how I'd decided between duty and heart. I told her I'd realized that my duty is to my heart, and that's how she came up with that phrase in her letter."

"Ok, that explains it."

"There's something you should know. Mushu was getting between us, making us fight so we wouldn't be sneaking off and having sex every time he turned around."

"Are you serious? Even after he said he wouldn't interfere anymore?"

"Uh-huh! He was whispering in your ear all kinds of negative things about me while you were sleeping, then he made it sound like I was gossiping about you to the princesses outside your tent."

"That explains a lot, then. While I'm apologizing for things, I need to get something else off my chest. Back at the Tung Shou pass, I should have taken you with us to the Imperial City. Even though Chi Fu was insisting I carry out the law, I was the commanding officer. I could have stood up to him. I'm sorry for leaving you on the mountain alone and I'm sorry I allowed him to grab you and drag you out of the tent. I knew you had only training pants on and a blanket."

"I forgive you, but you need to know that my wound opened up again when he threw me on the ground. Thankfully, Yao, Ling and Chien Po had given me food, a blanket and bandages before they left, so I was able to patch myself up again. Mushu got a fire going and I was able to keep a little bit warm and eat."

"I'll have to thank them for looking out for you when I didn't. How do you not hate me for that day?"

"Right at first, I did. Then I saw how you stood up to Chi Fu after I killed Shan Yu, and it changed how I felt about you. When I thought you were dead, I couldn't stand it. I never want to be without you again."

"Mulan, I am a general in the Imperial army. I'm going to have to leave you at some point for military duty. Probably more than once."

"Can we talk about this another time? I just got you back from the dead. I don't want to think about having to send my husband off to war now."

"Yes, I suppose. But not wanting to talk about it doesn't make it any less true. What were you planning to do about your wedding night if you had married that little prince?"

"I was just hoping he wouldn't notice that I didn't bleed. If he had, and told Lord Chin I wasn't a virgin, I'm sure I would have been killed and the alliance nullified."

"Yes, I'm sure. That would have been humiliating for you. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? If you remember, I pushed for it originally."

"True, you did. But if you remember correctly, I wasn't complaining. I wanted that as much as you did."

"You know what I was thinking as I was getting ready for that wedding? That I didn't regret what we did. I knew I would never stop loving you, and that at least I had the memories of giving myself to you before you died."

"What if you were with child because of me? Would you have known whose child it was and just passed it off as being the prince's?

"I'm not positive I would have known if it was yours or not. And yes, I would have led everyone to believe it was the prince's."

"Speaking of which, when would you know if you were?"

"Another week. If my bleeding doesn't happen by the week after, then I probably am."

"I'm so glad it all turned out how it did. Now we're married, and get to spend the rest of our lives together. I can't wait to have children with you."

"Me, neither. My skin crawled at the thought of having to sleep with that prince. Ugh!"

"I took one look at him and thought there was no way I wanted him putting his little hands on you."

"Me, neither."

"We belong to each other now."

"I love you, Shang!"

"I love you, too, Mulan!"

It was close to sundown when they reached the river, back at the spot they had chosen the first night when the carriage had gotten destroyed. Amazingly, their supplies were still where they had stashed them, so they had tents, cooking supplies and clothing.

The guards caught several fish and Shang and Mulan cooked it. After everyone had eaten and drank some tea, the guards offered to take the first watch. As Shang and Mulan set up their tent, they got a lot of ribbing from Yao, Ling and Chien Po.

The couple was just about to go into the tent when they spotted Mushu standing by the entrance. He smiled. "I know. You actually married. So go do the babymakin' dance all you want. I'll make sure no one bothers you. I'm sorry I made you two fight so much you ended up breaking up. I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Mushu, you already did. If it hadn't been for you playing their Golden Dragon of Unity, Shang would be in a prison in Qui Gong and I would be having a wedding night with that little prince." Mulan made a gagging sound.

"Ew! I did what I could. You're welcome!"

They smiled at the little red dragon and went into their tent and shut the entrance tightly. Shang pulled Mulan into his arms tightly and his lips met hers. Sashes and robes went flying and in moments they were laying on the mat under a blanket wearing only their Yin and Yang necklaces.

Shang gazed into Mulan's eyes. "I never thought I'd get to look into your beautiful eyes again. Or see your beautiful breasts." He leaned over and kissed each breast, then ran his hands over them. "As I was falling after I let go of the rope, I thought about you all the way down, until I went unconscious. When I woke up, you were the first thing I thought of."

Mulan planted kisses on Shang's chest and neck. "I never thought I'd get to hold you again."

"Neither did I."

Remembering the first time they'd made love, Shang moved his hand down to Mulan's core. He slipped two fingers inside her and she gasped in surprise and moaned. She reached her hand over to touch him, but he moved it away. "Not yet. I'll be done too quick."

His thumb found her sensitive little bump and he made little circles over it, while moving his fingers in and out of her. He watched as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back and her breath came in little moans. Suddenly, she arched her back and let out several loud cries as she climaxed under his touch.

Shang climbed over her and slid himself inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered "I love you, Shang".

"I love you, too, Mulan."

The two made love several times, hoping to make up for a little bit of lost time. And to celebrate their marriage. And just because they could.

It was nearly daylight before the guards banged on the sides of their tent to get their attention so they could take over. They would have gone inside their tent, but the guards knew the couple was likely not dressed and acting like the newlyweds they were.

When the two dressed and came outside, Yao and Ling laughed and slapped Shang on the back. Mulan blushed furiously and quickly walked away.

Even from several feet away, she heard Yao. "Way to make her scream, Pretty Boy!" She was mortified to think the guards had heard her and suddenly felt like crying.

Shang stopped and leaned down so that his face was about two inches from Yao's and used his harshest drill sergeant voice. "You are not to speak about MY WIFE in that manner again, am I understood?" The soldier looked startled, but saluted Shang. "Yes, Sir."

After Shang joined Mulan at the edge of the clearing, she whispered to him. "Thank you, that was really humiliating to know they heard me."

"I know. It won't happen again."

In the distance, they heard Chien Po scolding Yao for his big mouth.

The group covered a lot of ground that day. At nightfall, the guards took the first watch and the couple pitched their tent further away from them this time. Inside, Shang laid down and pulled Mulan on top of him. She made an effort to be quieter, and Shang did what he could to make that difficult.

.

.

.

The guards and princesses were getting to know each other better, now that the guards were no longer under orders not to talk to them. The princesses could finally relax, now that they knew they weren't going to be married to princes they'd never met.

The remainder of the trip back to the Imperial City was uneventful, compared to the trip out to Qui Gong. Mushu did everything he could to make up for his earlier behavior, including starting fires when the group needed them for cooking meals.

Only one obstacle remained, and that was explaining to the Emperor why his daughters were returning to him and that they had fallen in love with the guards. Mulan and Shang also had it in the back of their minds that they were going to have to explain to her family how they were already married. She could already hear the ribbing they were going to get from her grandma Fa.

When the group arrived back at the Imperial palace, Shang went in alone to talk to the Emperor and present the written agreement of alliance from Lord Chin. After kneeling and explaining the events of the mission, he waited for the Emperor's response.

For a few agonizing minutes, the Emperor was quiet and Shang hoped he'd be given a chance to say goodbye to Mulan before his head was lopped off.

"General Li, this is highly unexpected. I've never known you to defy an order before. However, I am grateful that I will now have my three daughters here with me once again. Had they married Lord Chin's sons, I almost certainly would have never seen them again."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"And would you say these guards my daughters fell in love with are your three best soldiers?"

"Yes, sir. They aided in your rescue when the Huns ambushed us at the victory parade."

"I must meet them before I give my approval. I understand you now need to explain to Fa Zhou why you are already married to his only daughter. I wish you luck."

Shang smiled. "Thank you."

"You and your new wife may be on your way after you bring in my daughters and your three best soldiers."

Shang nodded and left to bring the princesses and guards back to the Emperor. Before they entered the throne room, he gave each soldier a salute and they saluted him back. "I never thanked the three of you for helping Mulan when I left her on the mountain. She told me you gave her food, a blanket and bandages. Thank you."

Mulan hugged each princess, then they were on their way.

It was a few hours from sundown, so the couple rode until bright red, orange and gold streaks signaled the end of another day. They pitched their tent by a stream. After catching several fish and cooking them over a fire, they decided to cool off in the water.

It was already dark as they removed their clothes and left them on the shore. Shang picked up Mulan and carried her into the water, setting her down by a large rock in the middle. It reminded them both of the stream at Wu Zhong. Mulan smiled as she remembered a time when she'd seen Shang getting out of the water and how attracted she'd been to him.

"I've got a confession to make, Shang."

"What? About what?" He looked concerned and his thoughts immediately went back to Qui Gong where Mulan had almost gotten married. Had something taken place she didn't tell him about?

"Did something happen in Qui Gong?"

"No, no, not at all. Once at Wu Zhong, I was headed to the stream to bathe when you were just getting out. I hid in the trees and watched you dry off and get dressed. I was totally transfixed by your body, but I never thought I'd actually get to touch it."

"You watched me get out of the river and dress?"

Mulan nodded.

"And you liked what you saw, did you?"

Mulan nodded again, feeling a warm excitement forming between her legs as she remembered gazing at the naked General from behind a tree.

"What did you do?"

Mulan turned bright red. "After you dressed and left, I quickly bathed and hurried back to my tent. I couldn't stop thinking about you, so I touched myself and imagined it was you."

Shang grinned at her and his eyes darkened with desire. His hand slid down to her core and his fingers lightly grazed her outer lips.

"Is this where you touched yourself?"

She nodded, desperately hoping he would put his fingers inside her and rub his thumb against her again.

"Here?" He lightly ran his finger up the inside of her slit, grazing her clit as he did. She jerked and moaned at the sensation, then whimpered when he pulled his hand away.

"Yes! There!" All Mulan could manage was a whisper.

Without warning, Shang picked her up out of the water and sat her on a ledge on the boulder. She sat even with his shoulders, and he pushed her legs apart and gazed at her womanhood. Mulan leaned back against the rock, desperately wishing he would touch her.

Shang began kissing along the insides of her thighs, every so often letting his lips lightly brush her clit. Each time he did so, she shuddered and moaned.

"You really want me to touch you, don't you? You want Shang to touch your womanhood?"

Mulan nodded and bit her lip. He could see the desperation in her face.

He planted one kiss against her clit, and she whimpered. After a few seconds of waiting, he did it again.

"Shang, please? Oh, gods, I want you so bad."

He ran his tongue up from the base of her vagina to the top of her clit, then pulled away.

"Please! Please!"

Shang looked up at his wife. She was leaning against the back of the rock with her eyes closed and a look of desperation on her face. One hand was twisting a nipple and the other hand had grabbed his hair. Her legs were spread open and he could see the moisture building up and leaking out. He made a circle around her clit with his tongue, and pulled away.

"Shang!" Tears were actually forming in Mulan's eyes. "Please!"

"What do you want Shang to do?"

Mulan groaned. This was almost too much. She felt like she was on fire as she waited for Shang to relieve her desperation.

"Just please touch me again!"

Shang decided she'd had enough and began furiously licking her clit. He slid two fingers inside her heat and was excited to feel how swollen and hot with excitement it was. He listened as her moans grew higher pitched and her breathing got faster. She still twisted a nipple with one hand and her other hand was tangled in his hair. Her back was arched against the rock and her eyes were closed.

"Please! Please! Shang! Please!"

He sucked the little button into his mouth and Mulan jerked up and fell back against the rock.

"Oooohhh, oooohh, oooohh… Shang!" She jerked up and fell back again as her release rocked her whole being. He grinned as he watched her orgasm take over her body, pleased he could give her so much pleasure.

Shang gently picked Mulan up again and set her down next to him. She was still breathing hard and her cheeks were flushed a bright shade of pink. He leaned down and kissed her, then picked her up in his arms and carried her to the shore of the stream. There he laid her down on her back and the two made sweet love under the stars.

After Shang had rolled to his side to catch his breathe, he pulled Mulan close to him and they stared up at the black sky covered with tiny pinpoints of light.

"I love you, Shang."

"I love you, too, Mulan."

"Oh. My. God. Are you two done yet or what? This saddlebag is getting mighty stuffy!"

Mulan groaned. She'd forgotten about Mushu. Crickey chirped angrily at him and yanked a whisker.

"What? I'm not interfering."

Crickey continued his tirade.

"I know they just got married and they need time alone. I'm not bothering them. See, I waited till they were done. And, no, you pesky little insect, I was not watching!" Mushu ended his statement with a gagging sound.

Crickey let out one more chirp that sounded a lot like "fine" and hopped away in search of dinner. Earlier, Shang had lit a lamp and hung it in a tree. This provided a nice buffet for a hungry cricket.

The two lovers gathered their clothes and went into their tent. Staying naked, they curled up together under the blanket.

Shang remembered something Mulan had said out in the stream. "So you touched yourself after you saw me naked at Wu Zhong?"

Mulan blushed and nodded.

"I want to watch you touch yourself."

"What? No! I can't do that in front of you."

"Please?"

"Alright!"

Mulan closed her eyes and wet her fingers in her heat and rubbed them against her clit until she reached an orgasm, while Shang licked and kissed her breasts. After she had opened her eyes again and looked at him, embarrassed, he turned into his back.

She smiled and climbed over him, pushing him deep into her wet heat. He guided her hips as she began to move. She picked up speed and rocked against him. Just before they both reached a peak again, he rubbed his fingers against her clit and she let out a scream as he brought her to a climax. Then the spasms around his length brought him to his own orgasm. Thoroughly exhausted, the couple curled up together and fell asleep.

.

.

.

Too soon, it was daylight. Dragons wake at the crack of dawn.

"Alright! Wakey wakey, lovebirds! Rise and shine! Y'all done enough babymakin' for one night. Let's hit the road!"

Mulan groaned and opened one eye. "Mushu, go away."

Mushu put his hands on his hips. "Come on, girl! Get your butt up outta that bed!" He jumped to dodge a shirt Mulan threw at him and marched out shaking his head.

About an hour later, the two did finally get up to find Mushu had started a fire and was heating dumplings over it. He'd also made tea. Mulan gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Mushu!"

"Y'all got a big day today. You gotta explain to Mulan's family why you're already married!"

They looked at each other and Mulan slapped her forehead. "You're right, Mushu. I'd forgotten about that."

"Yeah, I wonder why…"

"Mushu!"

"Y'all might wanna tone down the sound effects a bit unless you want Granny Fa teasing you constantly!"

"Mushu!"

"What? Girl, you know I'm right."

Mulan groaned and smiled. The dragon was right. Her Grandma Fa would have a heyday teasing them. She glanced at Shang.

"He's right, she'd be merciless. Guess I better tone it down. Or maybe you shouldn't make me beg!" She poked Shang in the chest. He grinned at her.

"Not promising a thing!"

"Look, can we get on our way before you two are tearing each other's clothes off again?"

"Yes! We can go."

In short order, the site was packed up and they were on their way.

It was just after sundown when they arrived at the Fa home. While they ate supper, Mulan and Shang told them about the mission, ending with them being married.

"Wait, you're already married?" Fa Li looked incredulous.

Mulan and Shang smiled at each other and nodded.

"Wow! What do you know about that!" Grandma Fa grinned at them. "I bet you two had a nice trip back from Qui Gong, didn't you?"

Mulan blushed. "Grandma!"

"Mm-hmm… that's what I thought!"

From outside the window, Mulan heard Mushu whisper. "Told ya!"

The next morning, Grandma Fa was already awake and about when the couple got up. As soon as she saw them, she started at it.

"Well, I was hoping to get a good night's sleep last night, but there was this newlywed couple in the room next door that kept me awake."

"Grandma!"

"Well, it's ok as long as I get a great-grandbaby out of it."

"You will soon enough, I'm sure, Grandma." Mulan smiled, but in her head she was calculating calendar days. She was due to start any day now.


	4. Author's Note

I'm gonna have to pull the plug on this story. I've got no inspiration for it whatsoever, and have way too much stress going on in my life. I lost my job and am going through a divorce. Not looking for sympathy, btw. Just letting you all know why this story won't get a proper ending. Sorry about that.

Pf75


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